


Hold My Heart

by selinameyer



Category: Superstore (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 02:37:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8648521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selinameyer/pseuds/selinameyer
Summary: “I’m here. I’m always here, Amy.”





	

She could feel her heart pounding as she pulled into the driveway, squinting at the brightness of the early morning sun.

 

She was exhausted, the aftermath of having had to work on Black Friday (while battling an upset stomach, nonetheless) finally hitting her as she slowly climbed out of the car. What made it worse was the fact that she knew the conversation she was about to have would only make her feel even more exhausted. 

 

Amy took a deep breath as she slid the key into the lock.

 

“I can do this.” She said quietly to herself before pushing the door open. She entered the house, knowing that Adam would be waiting for her in the kitchen.

 

He was sitting at the table, hands folded in front of him.

 

She gave him a meek attempt at a smile before sitting across from him.

 

“Is there anything I can do to make you happy?”

 

She took a deep breath.

 

“I don’t think there is…”

 

“Is there somebody else?”

 

“No, Adam. There’s no one else.”

 

It wasn’t as though she was lying.

 

Was there a possibility that she might have feelings for another man? 

 

Yes. 

 

Was there a possibility that she was going to act on those feelings?

 

Quite unlikely.

 

“Why are you unhappy?”

 

She paused, closing her eyes.

 

“Adam, I think you are the best father that our daughter could possibly have, please know that, but I think...no, I know, we aren’t compatible anymore. This pregnancy scare made me realize that not only am I unhappy, but I do want more children...I just don’t want them with you. We were young when we got married and the only reason we did was because I got pregnant and I don’t regret having Emma, she is the best thing that has ever happened to me, but a part of me regrets getting married so young. We didn’t need to do that. It wasn’t completely necessary. What I’ve come to realize throughout the last year is that you and I are too different, we want different things. You always have these ridiculous business ventures that always fail. The barbeque business, the travel agent thing, none of it ever works out. The only thing it does is make us struggle financially. I’m tired of always having to clean up your messes. I don’t deserve this. I work too hard to watch you make a mess of everything with your stupid scatterbrained ideas.”

 

“You never supported me or my ideas.”

 

“I have done nothing but support you and your ideas, Adam. If I didn’t support you or them I would have gone back to school to finish my degree, but no, you wanted to pursue another dumb idea so I had to put that on the back burner so I could take care of us, so that I could keep a roof over our heads and provide for our daughter.”

 

“I can get a real job; I can give up the ideas.”

 

It took everything in her to not roll her eyes.

 

It wasn’t the first time they had discussed his job situation. On the contrary, it had been discussed several times throughout the last few years, and he would always say that he would get a real job, one that paid well or one that gave him benefits, and he would stick with it for a few weeks, then suddenly he would get some new stupid idea for something and he’d quit to chase the idea.

 

She had had enough.

 

“That’s what you’ve said every single time we’ve had this discussion throughout the last five years. You can’t give up the ideas. You’ll always quit a stable, well-paying job to chase the high of whatever your next dumb idea is. I can’t be with someone who is as childish to not put the needs of his family above his impulsivities…”

 

“Bean.”

 

Amy shuddered at the use of his pet name for her before looking away.

 

“I want a divorce.”

 

* * *

Jonah had been so excited to work his first Black Friday and now he knew to never feel that way again. It had been awful and had changed his view of people for good. He was never naive enough to believe that everyone was a good person, but the night had come to show him that when it came down to it, they would show their absolute worst over material things.

 

He had only been asleep an hour, having gotten home from working the overnight shift at eight am, the usual time he left for work. He jumped awake at the sound of his phone blaring from his bedside table. He groaned, not even bothering to open his eyes as he felt around until he grabbed his phone.

 

“Jonah?” 

 

He wondered why Amy was calling him instead of sleeping. She had to be even more tired than he was, especially after the night she had had.

 

“Hey Amy, what’s up?”

 

She responded with something along the lines of a muffled sob and he was immediately at attention.

 

“Where are you?”

 

He couldn’t decipher her words through the sobs as she attempted to calm down.

 

“Hey, it’ll be okay.” He said softly, trying to help her down. “Take a deep breath and share your location with me, okay? I’ll come get you.”

 

His phone vibrated and he looked down at it. She was at a little park near Cloud 9 where they sometimes walked to at the end of their shifts to debrief about the day.

 

Jonah stood from his bed, grabbing his keys and heading out.

 

“I’m not hanging up until I get there, okay?”

 

It was only a ten minute drive from his apartment to the park and the entirety of the drive he could feel his heart clenching as he listened to her on the other line. 

 

She had been okay when he had last seen her.

 

He pulled into the empty space beside her red Volvo and looked over to find her sitting in the backseat of her car. He got out and pulled the door of her car open, sliding in beside her.

 

“I asked Adam for a divorce.” She said softly, her voice watery as she looked up at him.

“What, why?”

 

He was completely caught off guard by this development.

 

“I am so...unhappy and I have been unhappy for so long and it’s taken me a while to realize that. It wasn’t until last night when we had that conversation in the bathroom that I realized I don’t want more kids with Adam. I don’t want more anything with him anymore. I can’t be with him anymore. He’s...selfish and completely unaware of the fact… We got married to provide the best for Emma when I found out I was pregnant but I was nineteen then...I jumped into it and didn’t think it through.”

 

He could sense that she had more to say and instead of attempting to offer her some words of comfort he sat beside her in silence, allowing her to fully express herself before he intervened. He watched as Amy closed her eyes, tears slipping out from beneath her closed lids as she took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. 

 

“Emma’s thirteen now, it’s easier to separate now than it would have been when she was younger. It’s not going to be as difficult to explain to her. But god, I don’t want her to feel like this is her fault. I don’t want her to blame herself, it’s not about her at all. Honestly, it’s better for everyone if we separate now before the arguing starts and the nastiness and the resentment. I want this to be as painless as possible for her. Everything is going to be so hard and I’m going to be alone and I don’t know how to be alone. I don’t want to be alone.”

 

Hearing her say she didn’t want to be alone made Jonah’s chest physically ache. 

 

He scooted over and closed the gap between them, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and using his free hand to grab one of hers and give it a squeeze.

 

“Amy, you’re never going to be alone. You have Cheyenne, who looks up to you a lot even though she’s not much older than your daughter. You have Matteo, who’ll always be around to tell you that you’re right and that no man is worth your tears. Garrett and Dina have some issues sympathizing but if you really needed them, they would be there, or at least try to be anyway. Plus, come on, what kind of friend would I be if I’m not there for my favorite girl when she needs someone?”

 

Jonah rubbed her upper arm before kissing the top of her head. He had to reassure her that he was there for her.

 

“I don’t know how hard things are going to get from here on out, but I want you to know that I’m here for you, Amy. Doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night, I’m always a call away and I don’t want you to forget that. Don’t ever hesitate. I want to be there for you when you need someone to talk to. I won’t let you feel alone. That’s what friends are for.”

 

“I appreciate you so much.” Amy said softly as she rested her head against his shoulder after several minutes of the two sitting in silence.

 

“I’m here. I’m always here, Amy.”

 

* * *

“Are you guys free on Saturday?”

 

Jonah was sitting between Cheyenne and Matteo as she showed them both pictures of her daughter who was now at least six months old.

 

“Yeah, I’m free.” Cheyenne responded.

 

“It depends, what happens if I am?” Matteo inquired, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair.

 

“I need some extra hands to help Amy move into her new place. Would you guys be willing to do that for her?”

 

“I’ll have Bo watch the baby.”

 

“Helping Amy move sounds boring.”

 

“If you don’t want to help Amy out in her time of need, that’s fine, Matteo. I just thought I would ask if you were available since you guys get along so well.”

 

“Where is Amy anyway? Shouldn’t she be here asking me to help her move as opposed to having you here as a surrogate?” Matteo asked.

 

Jonah blew out his cheeks before responding.

 

“Please promise me you won’t tell her I told you.”

 

“Told us what?” Cheyenne intervened, turning her attention away from her phone to look up at Jonah.

 

“That’s good, Cheyenne, already pretend that you didn’t hear it.”

 

“Hear what?” She asked in confusion.

 

It took Jonah a moment to realize that once she had confirmed she was available to help, she had stopped listening altogether.

“Nothing, Cheyenne. Go back to looking at pictures of your baby. You can show me some more in another minute, okay?”

 

“Okay!” She responded, shrugging.

 

“Anyway.” Matteo added, turning his attention back to him. “I won’t tell her whatever it is that you don’t want her to know you told me.”

 

“She’s signing the divorce papers. She was waiting until she had a new place to live before making everything official.” He said it quietly, his voice so low that Matteo had to lean in to hear him.

 

“Oh man.”

 

“Yeah. So I figured that if you guys helped her move, it would cheer her up a little since she likes being in your company.”

 

“Yeah, definitely, I’ll help.”

 

* * *

“Is Jonah your boyfriend?”

 

Amy nearly choked on her sandwich as she processed Emma’s question.

 

“No, Emma. He’s not my boyfriend.”

 

“Oh, well, I think he should be.”

 

Amy sputtered on her drink, causing some of it to dribble down her chin. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her face before responding.

 

“Why are you talking about this, baby? You know your dad and I haven’t been divorced for more than a few weeks, it’s too soon for me to go back to dating.”

 

“Cami told me that when a guy likes you he’s gonna look at you a lot when you’re not looking. Jonah looks at you a lot when he thinks you’re not looking and you laugh a lot more with him than you did with dad. When a girl likes a guy she laughs a lot more around him.”

 

It took everything in her to resist the blush she knew would rise in her cheeks and give her away.

 

The fact that her daughter was beginning to pick up on the feelings she was starting to develop for her friend was a little embarrassing. She couldn’t help the tiniest flurry of butterflies that stirred in her stomach whenever he was around. She couldn’t help the fact that he made her feel a little less tense, made her worry a little less about her problems.  

 

“Alright, honey.” She responded, standing and walking around the table so that she was directly behind her daughter. She bent to kiss the top of her head, running a hand through her thick hair. “Finish up your dinner so I can go ahead and drop you off at your dad’s for the weekend, okay?”

 

“Okay, mom.”

* * *

They were on a hike. 

 

Jonah had convinced Amy to request the same weekend off as him so that he could take her out to blow off some steam while Emma was with her dad for a few days.

 

He wanted to make sure that Amy knew she wasn’t alone and that if she needed a distraction, he was more than willing to provide that distraction for her.

 

“It’s really nice up here.” He commented as they stood side by side at the top of Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in the state of Missouri.

 

They’d left St. Louis around six am, far too early for either one of them to be up on a Saturday, but the mountain was a little over an hour away and they knew it would be best to get there before the sun was too high in the sky.

 

It had taken a little over two hours to reach the top of the peak, having taken their sweet time climbing uphill.

 

Jonah had insisted Amy lead the way because she had a much better sense of direction but in reality he wanted to stay a few steps behind her in the event that she were to trip.

 

Not that he thought she would trip, he was just being cautious.

 

“A moment of beauty.” Amy responded, looking over at him with a bright smile on her face.

 

Her expression made his heart swell. It made him happy to see her smiling a real, genuine smile after the last few months she had had. He had been trying his hardest to make sure she was okay and he could see that it was finally beginning to pay off.

 

“I can’t believe you remember that.” He responded, giving the tail of her braid a slight tug.

 

“It always stuck out to me. Ever since then I’ve always tried to find something everyday even if it’s something small, to consider a moment of beauty. Sometimes it’s getting to leave work early, some days it’s hearing you laugh, other days it’s Emma crawling into bed to cuddle with me. I just try to look for something good in each day.”

 

It was hard for him to fully believe what he had just heard. That because of him she tried to find a daily moment of beauty. That at times the moment of beauty was his life.

 

“Yeah, well you’re welcome for that new philosophy.”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Amy responded, giving him a playful shove. “Last one to the bottom of the trail has to drive AND buy dinner.” She finished before taking off at a brisk jog.

 

Jonah couldn’t help but laugh at her tactics. First distract him, then run off and cheat in the game. She knew how to beat him too well. He would have to change up his own tactics soon.

* * *

Racing Jonah down the trail had seemed like a fun idea at first. Actually, it had been a fun idea, the two of them occasionally gaining the lead ahead of the other before being overtaken by their opponent.

 

Amy was currently in the lead and she could see that the car was about two hundred yards away. She couldn’t wait to beat Jonah to their base and have him buy her Italian for dinner, the thought of it alone made her mouth water.

 

She was so caught up in her thoughts of winning that she didn’t notice a small hole in the ground, stepping right into it and toppling straight to the ground, hearing a loud popping sound as she felt a sharp pain shoot up her ankle.

 

“Damn it!” She winced as she sat up from the ground.

 

“What happened?” Jonah asked as he squatted down so that he was eye level with her.

 

“I stepped in a rabbit hole or something. I think I sprained my ankle.”

 

He stood, extending his hands to her to help her stand. She took his hands, careful to not put any weight on her injured foot managing to stand with her good leg.

 

“Put some weight on your left foot.” He instructed, still holding her hands in his.

 

She tried to put some weight onto her foot and yelled out in pain.

 

“Yeah, definitely a sprain.” He responded. “Come on, let’s get you to the car, and then we’ll find an ER to take you to.”

 

Amy watched as he squatted down in front of her.

 

“Are you seriously going to give me a piggyback ride?” She responded, in disbelief.

 

“Uhm, yeah, I am. It’d take me twenty minutes to help you limp over to the car. It’ll take me five minutes if you jump on my back and I piggyback you there.”

 

She hesitated a moment before climbing onto his back and wrapping her arms around his neck.

 

He was so careful when he stood, mindful of not causing her foot to shift, making sure that there was no way for him to lose his grip of her.

 

Her face was so close to the side of his that she was practically breathing into his ear. Every inhale she took was met by the scent of his peppermint shampoo. Only Jonah would use peppermint shampoo year round. This was one of the quirks that she was beginning to love about him. That he didn’t believe things went in and out of season.

 

She chuckled to herself.

 

“What are you laughing at?”

 

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

 

* * *

Jonah was spending more time with Amy than he had ever before. Since she had sprained her ankle, she was out of commission for two weeks and because her apartment was on the second floor and there was no elevator in her building, she was stuck.

 

The second he reached her door it swung open and he was greeted by Emma.

 

“Good morning, sunshine. Got your favorite this morning, strawberry with rainbow sprinkles. Don’t tell your mom.” He said brightly, handing her a Dunkin’ Donuts bag and winking.

 

“Yaaas!” She replied and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Mom’s in the kitchen.”

 

“Figured. Go get your stuff ready for school.”

 

He walked into the kitchen, finding Amy at the table with a few of her textbooks spread out. He approached her placing a cup of coffee in front of her as she scribbled furiously into her notebook. It took a second before she noticed the cup and looked up at him.

 

“I love you.” She said, reaching for the cup of coffee and bringing it to her lips.

Jonah’s heart skipped a beat.

 

It didn’t matter that she meant it in the most platonic way. It still made him feel funny.

 

“Thanks for taking Emma to school today. Adam’s gonna pick her up and take her for the rest of the week so you don’t have to worry about taking her tomorrow or the rest of the week.”

 

“I wouldn’t have minded it. She’s a cool kid. She’s like a little mini you.”

 

He walked around the table so that he was standing behind her as she went back to her textbooks. He waited a second before grabbing the notebook in front of her and reading the notes she had been scribbling into it.

 

“I have a final in two days, I’m cramming. Can I have that back, please?”

 

“I’ll come over when I get off later, help you study for a bit and then I’ll come back tomorrow.”

 

“You really don’t have to do that.”

 

“I want to.”

 

* * *

She had never met anyone as giving as Jonah. He was so willing to give her his time and energy to help her, no matter what. Whether it was helping her move or taking Emma to school because she couldn’t, to offering to help her study for her final exam on his day off.

 

When he had shown up after his shift at Cloud 9, he had come laden with highlighters and index cards and had grabbed her notebook to take a few pictures of its contents before returning it to her and letting her continue with her note taking.

 

An hour later she heard a knock on the door and some low murmuring and suddenly Jonah was in the kitchen with two pizzas and a bottle of coke.

 

“Study break.” He announced, setting the boxes down on the table. “Eat something and down a bottle of coke to keep you awake so when we’re done here, we can jump into the flash cards. I’ve got around thirty from the notes I took pictures of.

 

She watched as he walked over to the cabinet and pulled out two plates, then opened the door to another cabinet and grabbed two cups.

 

She loved the fat that he was so comfortable in her home. He had been spending so much time there recently that he had memorized where she kept everything. It was almost like he was making himself at home and the thought of sharing a home with him suddenly made her heart ache.

 

They could never really be together.

 

There was too much at risk for either of them.

 

For one, they had such a great friendship that she knew would only grow if they were ever together, but she also knew that it would quickly deteriorate if they didn’t work out. She was so accustomed to having Jonah in her life at this point that it was hard to imagine what it would be like without him.

 

She didn’t want to know what it would be like.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jonah asked with a smirk, breaking her from her reverie.

 

“I spaced out, don’t think any of it, loser.”

* * *

It was getting late.

 

They’d been reviewing for hours. Amy knew the material like the back of her hand and Jonah couldn’t help but swell with pride every time she got the answer right. There was no way she wasn’t going to ace her final exam.

 

Jonah wiped at his eyes before checking his watch.

 

It was nearly three a.m.

 

He stood from his position at the kitchen table and stretched, letting out a loud yawn before nudging Amy who had fallen asleep in the process of putting away her notes.

 

He couldn’t blame her.

 

He knew that she was frustrated about not being able to do anything for two weeks until her ankle healed; she didn’t like to depend on others. It wasn’t in her nature to be as codependent as she was having to be now. He knew that it was driving her insane to be cooped up in her apartment without having the ability to leave if she wanted to.

 

He nudged her again and when she didn’t wake, he pulled her chair away from the table and gingerly took her in his arms, carrying her to her bedroom. He was careful when he set her down on her bed not wanting to jolt her ankle or wake her. Jonah pulled the covers around her, brushing the hair back from her face before kissing the top of her head.

 

“Goodnight, Amy.”

 

* * *

She passed her exam with flying colors. She hadn’t missed a single question. Amy was so proud of herself for doing so well, especially considering the amount of emotional stress she had been under throughout the entirety of the semester. She knew that she owed a lot of her success to Jonah, for being there when she needed him, even when she didn’t know she did. If it hadn’t been for his constant presence to help lift her spirits or listen to her when she was at her lowest, she knew that she wouldn’t have gotten through the semester and for that she was beyond grateful for him.

 

Her phone started to ring.

 

“Hey, Jonah.”

 

“So how was your exam?”

 

“Not a single wrong answer. Highest score in the class.”

 

“That’s my girl! I’m taking you out to dinner tomorrow, alright? Not like you’ve got anything else to do and I know you’re going stir crazy being stuck in your apartment, so I figured that I can come up and help you down the stairs and then we can go out and you can have some fresh air or whatever.”

 

“Not as fresh as the air when we went hiking.” She responded, causing him to laugh. She couldn’t help but smile at the sound. “I’d love to go out to dinner.”

 

“Alright! It’s a date! Now go and kill some brain cells by binge watching some reality tv. You deserve it after all of the studying this week. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, Amy.”

 

* * *

She couldn’t shake off the giddiness she felt as she got ready. Due to the fact that she was currently wearing a boot on her sprained ankle, she couldn’t be bothered with wearing pants. Instead she rummaged through her closet, finding a long sleeved red dress with just the perfect amount of cleavage.

 

She pulled on the dress before applying a light layer of makeup, finishing it off with a red lip. She inspected herself in the mirror suddenly finding herself feeling nervous. 

It felt like she was going on a date as opposed to dinner with her best friend.

 

The thing that really got to her was that Jonah had referred to it as a date.

 

So maybe it was a date.

 

There was a knock on the door and she stood, grabbing her crutches and hopping over to the door. She could not wait until she was free of them and capable of putting weight back on her foot.

 

Amy pulled the door open to find Jonah standing there in a light blue button down and slacks, a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. He looked like he had literally populated straight out of a romantic comedy.

 

“Sunflowers for someone who makes my life a little brighter.” He smirked and as cheesy as his compliment was, she couldn’t help but smile as she reached for the flowers. “Congrats on passing your final. I’m proud of you.”

 

“Thank you.” She said softly before setting the flowers down in the table beside the door. “Let me grab my purse, then we can go.”

 

“I’ll get it. On your dresser or on the knob of your closet door?”

 

“Closet door.” She replied, rolling her eyes.

 

He knew her too well.

 

* * *

He couldn’t stop looking at her.

 

Amy had always been beautiful to him, from the moment he had met her, but as he sat across from her in a booth at a small little Italian place in downtown St. Louis, he couldn’t help but realize that she just might be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

 

She was laughing at some stupid joke he had made and he wished there was a way to bottle that sound and keep it with him wherever he went.

 

Maybe it was the fact that they had had a little too much wine or that they were finally in a place where they were completely comfortable with one another but he couldn’t stop himself from reaching across the table and grabbing her hand.

 

* * *

His hand was wrapped around her waist and she had an arm draped around his shoulder as they walked back to his car. They’d left her crutches in the backseat, not wanting to be hindered by how much space they took up when they were in public.

 

He felt so warm against her and Amy would have leaned her head against his shoulder if it weren’t already nearly impossible for them to get to the car. When they did reach the car, Amy leaned against the back passenger door for a moment, biting her lip.

 

Jonah went to open the front passenger door for her and she topped him, taking his hand in her own.

 

Maybe it was the fact that she had had a little too much to drink or maybe it was the fact that she was tired of hiding things, but she couldn’t help but bring both of her hands to his face and kiss him.

 

She had thought about doing that so many times over the last six months but she should have known that how she thought it would feel would not live up to the real thing.

 

Jonah’s mouth was soft against hers, his tongue brushing against her lower lip, his hands finding their way down to her hips.

 

If she had had any fear that he wouldn’t have reacted the way she wanted him to, no, needed him to, it had now dissipated. The moment she felt his hands against her, where they belonged, she knew they were on the same page.

 

They momentarily pulled away and looked at one another before they both started to laugh. Amy couldn’t resist the urge to bury her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

 

“You know, I really don’t know how I would have gotten past these last six months without you.” She said as she pulled away, wrapping her arms around his neck as she looked up at him. “You’ve been so selfless and so giving. You’ve been so willing to give me your time without my having to ask, to cheer me up when I’ve been at my worst. You didn’t sign up to be this involved in my life when we became friends, but I’m so thankful you did.” She said the words softly as she toyed with the hairs at the back of his neck.

 

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure you’re happy. Whether it’s being your shoulder to cry on or helping you study for your exams, I will always be willing to drop everything for you. That’s what you do for the person you love.”

* * *

Jonah hadn’t believed in love at first sight until he had met Amy. It had taken an entire year and some change for him to finally admit how he felt, but he did it. She knew how he felt about her.

He looked down at her, watching as she processed the depth of his words, his heart beating a little faster than previously before.

 

It was all in her hands.

 

“Let’s go home.” She responded softly, brushing her lips against his ear as she did so.

 

It sent a shiver down his spine.

* * *

They were standing in the doorway of her bedroom, just looking at one another. Amy’s hands closed the gap between them, finding the buttons of his shirt and undoing the first few before he stopped her.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” She responded and he brought her hand up to his lips, giving it it a gentle kiss before letting her resume. When she had his shirt completely unbuttoned, he felt her palm warm against his chest. He reached for her pulling her body close to his, his hands resting on her waist as he leaned down to kiss her. She moaned softly into his mouth, her hand dropping from his chest and finding itself in his hair. 

 

He lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist which elicited a giggle from her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his as he carried her over to the bed.

 

“Is the boot going to be a problem?” He asked as he set her down.

 

“Screw the boot, it’s been a week, it can come off for a few hours. I’ll be okay.” 

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes, Jonah! I’m sure. Now help me take this dumb thing off.”

 

He couldn’t help but laugh as he reached for her foot and they both started to undo the straps. They tossed the boot and the sock she had on aside, both taking a deep breath. He scooted up so that they were level with one another and she pulled him towards her by his belt before starting to unbuckle it.

 

“You’re lucky you have less clothing to take off.” He laughed as she started to pull his pants down. 

 

“Yeah, but pulling off a dress is a pain in the ass.” She responded as she sat up on her knees and started pulling off her dress. Jonah took the opportunity to strip down to his boxers, discarding his clothes onto the floor.

* * *

Everything about this had felt so right.

The feel of Jonah’s flesh against hers, the sweet nothings he murmured into her ear. The way he had whispered her name when he finished.

 

For the first time in almost six months, she knew everything was going to be okay.

 

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He said softly as he kissed her neck, his arms wrapped around her.

 

“I love you.” She responded, turning to face him, cupping his face in her hands and rubbing her thumb against his cheek. “I’ve spent the last few months trying to push away what I’ve been feeling for the longest time because it just felt like this could never come to fruition.” 

 

“I’ve been in love with you since the moment you told me your name in the parking lot of Cloud 9. I’ve spent the last year and a half trying to suppress these feelings because I didn’t think that this moment would ever happen. It was so hard for me to spend so much time with you because I never thought I even stood a chance, and then you and Adam got divorced, and I knew I needed to be there for you. I couldn’t let you go through that alone, even if it meant that I would get hurt in the process. I’d rather be in pain than see you unhappy, Amy. You make me so unbelievably happy and I would rather be in your life as just a friend if that’s what you wanted.”

 

She watched as his eyes started to well with tears and she reached up to kiss his eyelids.

 

“I want you. I want to be able to go to sleep in your arms every night and wake up to your stupid face in the morning. I want to give you the support you’ve given me these last few months, I want to learn about your interests and things to do together to call ours. Plus, my kid gave me the blessing a really long time ago.” She finished, laughing.

 

“No way.” He responded, raising an eyebrow at her as he grinned. 

 

Amy brushed her thumb against his lips.

 

“Yeah, she really did, like two months after her dad and I got divorced. She said you looked at me a lot when you thought I wasn’t looking, and that that’s what a guy does when he likes someone.”

 

“Well, she’s a smart kid.”

 

“Of course she’s a smart kid, she’s mine.” 

 

“Got it from her mama.” He responded, giving her a soft peck on the lips.

 

Amy nestled into his side, resting her head against his chest.

 

She had found her home. 


End file.
